Rolling and Priority Admissions

By Chuck Hughes

Former Senior Harvard Admissions Officer

 

Most of us are familiar with the early action and early decision programs that colleges offer its applicants, and many students look to take advantage of those November 1/15 or December 1 deadlines as they determine which schools are top on their school lists. For my students who are considering going after a reach school via early decision, there is another application option that I encourage them to consider - rolling and priority admissions application deadlines. This avenue can also work for students who are uncertain about what they want out of a college as well as for strong students looking to have a positive early decision without having to make the ED commitment.

 

Rolling Admissions

Rolling programs have often been associated with late deadlines in which colleges still accept applications beyond February 1 on a space available basis. The rolling model also has an up front advantage in that colleges will look at those who are organized and able to submit applications sooner rather than later. Those students who apply early in the rolling process are often considered to have more focus and direction as they prepare to enter college. Schools accepting rolling admissions applications have traditionally been easier to gain admission to as the applicants have a full array of spots available. The list of schools offering rolling admissions is large, but some strong students have trouble finding a college that is sufficiently selective to add to their list of schools. You won't find any Ivy schools on the list, but there are some very solid colleges that do garner a significant amount of interest from seniors in high school. Colleges such as Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Arizona State and Baylor University are some large colleges offering rolling programs. Smaller/mid sized institutions such as Quinnipiac (CT), Eckerd (FL) and Manhattan are a few examples of smaller private institutions offering rolling admissions spots.

Priority Admissions

Priority Admissions is similar to rolling admissions in that decisions are made as applications are completed and received; however, if a student has their application materials submitted by the priority date, that particular school guarantees a reply date before January 1. Priority admissions have deadlines to meet to insure that the candidate's application is reviewed in a timely manner, and it is a hybrid in some ways between rolling admission and early action. Michigan has a November 1 priority date and South Carolina has an October 1 priority date. Both schools will return an admission decision before January 1^st if you are able to meet the priority application deadlines. These are two schools at the extremes of selectivity, but the idea is that there are a range of colleges out there that will match your academic profile. I also like the idea of having some good news in hand before the January 1 deadlines because it can help alleviate some of the anxiety and stress that goes along with not knowing the outcomes of the spring admissions decisions.